Arrival & Departure Procedures & Transportation

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE PROCEDURES

ARRIVAL School begins at 8:20 am. Students should arrive at school between 7:30 am and 8:20 am so they can prepare for the day. Homeroom begins promptly at 8:20 am and ends at 8:25 am. If you plan to drive your student to school, the car line travels around the curve of the City Avenue driveway. Parents/guardians pull over to let students out and then continue along the driveway. LATE ARRIVAL If students arrive late, they must sign in at the kiosk in the Upper School Office. DEPARTURE w On Mondays through Thursdays, classes end at 3:05 pm.

On Fridays, classes end at 2:15 pm. At the end of the day, the parking lot driveways are reserved for buses from 2:45 pm until 3:25 pm. w We realize that parents/guardians want to pick up their children, but we ask that you wait until at least 3:25 pm to arrive in your car. This is both safer and more efficient, since it eliminates the need for students to cross through bus traffic to get to parked cars. w If you do arrive before 3:25 pm, a staff member will direct you to form lines in the parking lot until the buses are clear. EARLY DISMISSAL A parent/guardian must call the attendance line at 610.645.5136 or email Maryclaire D’Orazio in the Upper School Office at usattend@friendscentral.org with the details of early dismissal. When it is time to leave, your child must sign out at the US Office. Students may not leave campus early without permission from a parent/guardian. ILLNESS OR UNPLANNED ABSENCES A parent/guardian must call the Attendance Line 610.645.5136 or email usattend@friendscentral.org on the day of an absence. If a student is ill for more than one day, a parent or guardian must call Maryclaire D’Orazio in the US Office at 610.645.5075 each day to inform the School of the student’s absence. The School may require a doctor’s note in order for the student to return to school. Due to the health risks to themselves and others, we strongly encourage students who are ill to stay home for the entire day. To maintain the healthiest environment possible, the School asks that students with a fever or strong symptoms not come on campus during the time of their illness.

TRANSPORTATION

Friends’ Central students get to school in many different ways, including private vehicles, school district buses, and SEPTA. There is an Inter-campus shuttle service that runs in the morning and afternoon between the two campuses, as well as a shuttle service to the Overbrook train station. If you have any questions, please contact JB Bowie, Transportation Manager, at 610.247.3520 or jbbowie@friendscentral.org. w Inter-campus shuttle: Morning and afternoon shuttle service runs between the City Avenue and Lower School campuses. • Morning City Ave to Lower School leaves at 8:05 am from in front of Shallcross Hall • Morning Lower School to City Ave leaves at 8:05 am from the bus circle • Afternoon shuttle from LS to City Ave arrives at City Ave at 3:10 pm (There is no afternoon shuttle from City Ave to Lower School) w Public School District Bus Transportation: FCS is responsible for notifying all school districts of eligible FCS students. School districts then contact families with the routes, including pick-up and drop-off times. If you do not receive route information by the third week of August, please contact your school district and FCS so that we may assist you in getting the information you require. w Public Transportation: The School District of Philadelphia provides a yearly TransPass for eligible MS/US students. If an eligible student would like a TransPass please go to the front desk of the Main Building. A free shuttle is available to transport students between the Overbrook train station, the 63rd and Malvern Bus Depot and the City Avenue Campus. Shuttles to the transportation hubs run at the following times: • Morning shuttles run from 7:45 am through 8:15 am • Afternoon shuttle departs at 3:20 pm, Monday to Friday • Late shuttle departs at 5:40 pm (Monday through Friday)

Although this is a free service, we ask that families register online so that we can ensure that bus and van allocations are adequate for the ridership. w Driving to School: Upper School students of legal age with a valid driver’s license may drive to Friends’ Central. There is limited on-campus parking. Seniors (and juniors after Spring

Break) can register online for an on-campus parking permit, see the Transportation section of the website. After registering and submitting payment online, students must pick up their pass before parking on campus.